W e encourage you to spend a few minutes review- ing last year’s summary of work for our organiza- tion. This Annual Report is a blend of completed projects, maintenance activities, services provided and a look into our budget that drives the County Engineer opera- tion. The 2020 happenings of the world challenged our group in so many ways. Our responsibilities were identified as es- sential from the outset, and because of our varied tasks in- volving road maintenance-to sewer plants-to building in- spections, we adjusted on the fly to keep the work going, while doing our best to keep our customers and employees safe. As difficult as it was, and still remains to conduct many of our normal duties, I can look back at the positive way in which our employees responded, staying nimble and crea- tive in finding ways to get their work done. Roads were maintained, bridges got built and the local building industry still received timely inspections during the height of the unsettled weeks. And kudos as well to our customers for being understanding and adjusting their normal business practices along the way. The area’s commercial and residential construction re- mained very strong, despite rising materials prices. Build- ing permit totals increased to nearly 1,700 and single- family home starts rose to 492. Multi-family unit construc- tion continued its upward trend, as we saw completion of several projects that started in 2019. All of this activity conservatively yielded over $350 million in construc- tion investment. Our team also continued the develop- ment of new permit soft- ware which will be rolled out later this year, improv- ing our service to contrac- tors and helping us to bet- ter manage the 16,000+ inspections we perform each year. The majority of the homes being constructed are part of the many active residen- tial subdivisions being built in our central and south- eastern areas. A significant portion of our development workload centered on various stages of new commercial and residential development proposals across the entire county. Traffic impacts are studied, coordination with area agency partners is often necessary, and ultimately prioritizing the road improvements and developer cost shares need to happen before any asphalt is placed. New to the list of development proposals are several solar farms under consideration in the northern part of our county. Our role will involve the necessary improvements for county or township roads should the projects move forward. Our Environmental staff manages seven small sanitary sewer districts in the unincorporated areas, serving 618 customers. Annual revenues through user fees are around $450,000 and generally balance with the costs necessary to run the treatment plants. An online payment and infor- mation portal was added during the year to add conven- ience for the users. County forces replaced five small bridges and installed 33 culverts under local roadways. Our bridge crew per- formed maintenance repairs on the piers of two structures as a result of underwater inspections at seven sites. Each of our 330 bridges were inspected and rated. Our road crew chip-sealed 91 miles of county and township roads over 20 days at a total cost of $883,390 - which is our largest expenditure of self-performed work every year. The costs of our continued removal of trees and brush along our roadsides was around $220,000 through a com- bination of in-house labor and equipment, and some con- tract work. It remains an expensive and seemingly never- ending process along our over 900 miles of roadsides, but one that greatly improves safety. Continued on Page 2 Union County Engineer’s 2016 Fall Field Notes April 2021 Union County Engineer’s 2020 Annual Report Jeff Stauch, County Engineer Public Service With Integrity InsideThis Issue : 2. Duties and Responsibilities 3. Operations Division 4. Engineering Division 5. Engineering and Environmental Divisions 6. Building Department 7. Employee News 8. Budget Breakdown
Transcript
W e encourage you to spend a few minutes review-ing last year’s summary of work for our organiza-tion. This Annual Report is a blend of completed
projects, maintenance activities, services provided and a look into our budget that drives the County Engineer opera-tion.
The 2020 happenings of the world challenged our group in so many ways. Our responsibilities were identified as es-sential from the outset, and because of our varied tasks in-volving road maintenance-to sewer plants-to building in-spections, we adjusted on the fly to keep the work going, while doing our best to keep our customers and employees safe.
As difficult as it was, and still remains to conduct many of our normal duties, I can look back at the positive way in which our employees responded, staying nimble and crea-tive in finding ways to get their work done. Roads were maintained, bridges got built and the local building industry still received timely inspections during the height of the unsettled weeks. And kudos as well to our customers for being understanding and adjusting their normal business practices along the way.
The area’s commercial and residential construction re-mained very strong, despite rising materials prices. Build-ing permit totals increased to nearly 1,700 and single-family home starts rose to 492. Multi-family unit construc-tion continued its upward trend, as we saw completion of
several projects that started in 2019. All of this activity conservatively yielded over $350 million in construc-tion investment. Our team also continued the develop-ment of new permit soft-ware which will be rolled out later this year, improv-ing our service to contrac-tors and helping us to bet-ter manage the 16,000+ inspections we perform each year.
The majority of the homes being constructed are part of the many active residen-tial subdivisions being built in our central and south-eastern areas. A significant
portion of our development
workload centered on various stages of new commercial and residential development proposals across the entire county. Traffic impacts are studied, coordination with area agency partners is often necessary, and ultimately prioritizing the road improvements and developer cost shares need to happen before any asphalt is placed. New to the list of development proposals are several solar farms under consideration in the northern part of our county. Our role will involve the necessary improvements for county or township roads should the projects move forward. Our Environmental staff manages seven small sanitary sewer districts in the unincorporated areas, serving 618 customers. Annual revenues through user fees are around $450,000 and generally balance with the costs necessary to run the treatment plants. An online payment and infor-mation portal was added during the year to add conven-ience for the users.
County forces replaced five small bridges and installed 33 culverts under local roadways. Our bridge crew per-formed maintenance repairs on the piers of two structures as a result of underwater inspections at seven sites. Each of our 330 bridges were inspected and rated. Our road crew chip-sealed 91 miles of county and township roads over 20 days at a total cost of $883,390 - which is our largest expenditure of self-performed work every year. The costs of our continued removal of trees and brush along our roadsides was around $220,000 through a com-bination of in-house labor and equipment, and some con-tract work. It remains an expensive and seemingly never-ending process along our over 900 miles of roadsides, but one that greatly improves safety.
Continued on Page 2
Union County Engineer’s
2016 Fall Field Notes
April 2021
Union County Engineer’s
2020 Annual Report
Jeff Stauch, County Engineer
Public Service
With Integrity
Inside This Issue :
2. Duties and Responsibilities
3. Operations Division
4. Engineering Division
5. Engineering and Environmental
Divisions
6. Building Department
7. Employee News
8. Budget Breakdown
ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS
County Engineer —————— Continued from Page 1
We executed seven contracts for materials and construc-tion projects, valued at $2.41 million. Local funds cov-ered all but around $340,000 from two grants. Ten miles were paved and three contracts were let for pavement markings. The Collins Road bridge over Big Darby Creek was rehabilitated and our four historic covered bridges received fresh coats of paint. The dollars that drive much of the road and bridge work listed in this report are generated from three primary sources; a portion of the county sales tax, fuel tax and license fees. We were fortunate to see enough of our reg-ular revenue to continue with most of our planned pro-jects. Early estimates predicted a reduction of 1/3 of our normal fuel tax numbers, as traffic volumes were reduced by almost 50% in April. Traffic numbers rebounded but were still down about 15% for the balance of the year, thus hurting gasoline sales. However, strong diesel fuel consumption offset much of those losses, and we ended the year down only around $200,000.
A significant amount of our time is spent looking towards projects that will fill future Annual Reports, prioritizing and finding ways to get them funded. We secured com-mitments for grants totaling nearly $5.0 million for four projects slated to be built over the next five years. We also received the final payment for the $7.0 million In-dustrial Pkwy corridor contribution from the new FedEx facility. The challenges to get needed improvements in place will continue in many of these primary road corri-dors as traffic loads continue to increase.
I appreciate the yearly opportunity to share this summary with you. Our entire organization looks forward to being involved in another productive year in 2021, but with a little (actually a lot!) less drama.
Duties and Responsibilities
• Maintains, repairs, widens, resurfaces, constructs, or reconstructs county roads, bridges, culverts, and roadside ditches
• Engineering advisor to all fourteen Boards of Trus-tees for the maintenance, repair, widening, resurfac-ing, and construction of township roads and culverts. Bridges on township roads are the full responsibility of the Union County Engineer
• Prepares and maintains a road map of the county, and is also responsible for maintaining Union Coun-ty's tax map system
• Operates, maintains, repairs, constructs or recon-structs six small (package) wastewater treatment plants in the unincorporated areas of the County
• Building plan reviews and inspections for residential, commercial and industrial construction in the unin-corporated areas of the county as well as in the City of Marysville, in the Villages of Milford Center, Mag-netic Springs and Richwood
• Issues house numbers/driveway permits for all new residences or new businesses in the unincorporated areas of the county. Approves legal descriptions be-fore transfer; maintains a record of all surveys
• Administrates and enforces Union County's Flood Damage Prevention Regulations in the unincorpo-rated areas of the County
• Reviews preliminary and final plats, reviews con-struction plans, coordinates other agency reviews, inspects construction, and approves construction for all major/minor subdivisions planned and construct-ed in the unincorporated areas of the County
Page 2 Engineering and Operations
Union County Engineer’s
2020 Annual Report
Page 2
Jeff Stauch, Union County Engineer
COVID-19 CONSIDERATIONS In response to the current COVID-19 situation, the Union County Engineer has taken several steps to keep customers, employees, and the general public as safe as possible while continuing to provide our necessary services.
Our lobby is currently closed to the public. Howev-er, we are maintaining a separate document drop off/pick-up room so we can continue to do business. We will contin-ue to provide services online and by phone as well.
Building permit applications and plans/deed and survey documents may be dropped off at the appro-priately marked drop location outside our office. Sewer payments and building fees can be paid online, mailed to our office, or dropped in the drop-box outside our office building.
We appreciate your patience and assistance with these ad-justments so that we may continue to provide necessary services while protecting the safety and health of everyone.
Thank you!
ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS
Watkins Road Small Bridge Replacement CR104A-0.646 Force Work Labor Cost $36,930 12’x7’ Box Culvert $32,866 Langstaff Road Small Bridge Replacement CR189-0.632 Force Work Labor Cost $6,991 10’x5’ Box Culvert $25,872 Macklin Road Small Bridge Replacement CR196-0.986 Force Work Labor Cost $16,323 48”x52’ Beams $118,300 Kinney Pike Road Small Bridge Replacement CR262C-2.317 Force Work Labor Cost $7,258 14’x4’ Box Culvert $30,336
Winnemac Road Small Bridge Replacement CR336C-2.639 Force Work Labor Cost $11,763 16’x6’ Box Culvert $47,940 All other culvert replacements (33) $168,982
Snow and Ice Control $447,742
• $121,641 labor cost
• $94,716 equipment cost
• 2,433 tons of salt and 493 tons of salt/stone mix
• $231,385 material cost
Grader Patching $93,085
• 348 tons of hot mix asphalt applied to County Roads
• 656 tons of hot mix asphalt applied to Township Roads
Chip Seal (labor, equipment, and material) $883,391
• 395,886 gallons of asphalt and 10,322 tons of stone
• 63 miles of county roads and 28 miles of township roads Roadside Mowing (4 rounds) $183,822
• $78,206 labor cost
• $105,616 equipment cost
Tree and Brush Removal $220,005
• $175,440 labor cost
• $44,565 equipment cost
Page 2 Engineering and Operations
Union County Engineer’s
2020 Annual Report
Operations Division Page 3
WORK BY COUNTY FORCES
ENGINEERING AND OPERATIONS
Hot Mix Resurfacing Program Contractor: The Shelly Company
4 miles Allen Center Road, 5 miles Wolford-Maskill Road, and 1 mile Claibourne Road
Construction Cost: $1,421,378 Local Share: **$1,372,387 Jerome Township Contribution $48,991
Construction Cost: $144,926 Federal Grant: $144,926 Local Share: $0
Pavement Marking Program Contractor: Dura Mark
88 miles of centerline; 50 miles of edgeline; 20 railroad crossing symbols; 1 school symbol
Construction Cost: **$80,215
Page 2 Engineering and Operations
** Portions of local shares were furnished by the Sales Tax Levy
Union County Engineer’s
2020 Annual Report
Engineering Division
NEW VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT
(5) Dump Trucks (Payment 2 of 5) $201,601
(5) Stainless Steel Dump Beds (Payment 2 of 5) $277,400
Survey Equipment $28,922 Vacuum Excavator $52,589
(2) Solar Powered Message Sign Boards $22,682 2019 JD track loader $52,973 2016 Kobelco Excavator (Payment 5 of 5) $32,102 Used Gradall Excavator $20,000
2005 Chip Spreader $37,000 Salt Brine Maker (Payment 1 of 2) $5,975 2013 Forklift $11,500 (2) Case Cab Tractors $88,600
WORK BY CONTRACT
Page 4
UNI CR78— Collins Road Bridge Replacement Contractor: George J. Igel
Construction Cost: $760,325 OPWC Grant: $197,684 Local Share: **$562,641 The rehabilitation work was substantially completed on the Collins Rd. bridge over Big Darby Creek in Novem-ber by George Igel & Co. from Columbus. The scope of the improvement consisted of repairs to the two piers, and the complete replacement of the bridge superstructure. New prestressed beams were installed along with the pouring of a new concrete deck. Our office worked closely with ODNR on the construction requirements for the project due to the sensitive nature of Big Darby’s designation as a State and National Scenic River. The 167 ft. span replaced a steel truss structure in 1980 when the bridge was damaged by an overweight vehicle. Igel will return this spring to finish off some minor punch list items on the project.
• Driveway permits issued 175
• Number of addresses issued 117
• Total property transfers 2,643
• Existing deeds checked 1,952
• Foreclosure reviews 34
• Sheriff deed reviews 10
• Total property splits and resurveys 161
• Survey plats recorded 138
• Utility permits issued 97
• Overweight vehicle hauling permits issued 330
• Work order requests completed 83
• Miles of county roads maintained 467
• Sanitary Sewer Customers 618
• Received $161,630 in funding assistance from townships. Darby $70,000 Millcreek $ 16,630 Dover $25,000 Washington $10,000 Leesburg $40,000
MISCELLANEOUS STATS
Union County Engineer’s
2020 Annual Report
Engineering and Environmental Divisions
Page 5
ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION In 2020, we were excited to announce the launch of our new online portal for our sanitary sewer customers. This
portal allows customers to check their payments and balances online, make payments online, and receive up-to-date information from the sanitary engineer. It also allows customers to set up recurring credit card payments.
To check your balance or make a sewer payment online, go to: unioncountyohio.gov/engineer
Amidst the current COVID-19 spread, we have recently seen a significant increase in the amount of disinfectant wipes, pre-moistened wipes and paper towels/towelettes entering our wastewater treatment facilities. Even though these products are sometimes advertised as “flushable” or “septic safe,” please note that only means that they are likely to make their way through your individual drains/fixtures without causing back-up. Because these products do not break down like toilet paper, they get caught up in our pumps and cause clogging and pump burn out. They also combine with grease, hair, and other materials in our system to form larger masses that could cause main line backups. This results in staff call-out time and premature costly pump replacement. These materials also have the potential to cause backup in your individual plumbing network, resulting in sewage backups and costly clean-ups for homeowners. We ask that you please refrain from flushing anything down your toilets or drains other than toilet paper and human waste, and place every-thing else in your trash receptacle instead. Other items that you should refrain from flushing include: medication, dental floss, ciga-rette butts, feminine hygiene products, bandages and cotton balls. We aim to keep your monthly user rates as low as possible, and appreciate your cooperation.
W hile the pandemic has significantly impacted the global economy and forced industry and individual busi-nesses to adjust how they operate and interact, the amount of development activity within Union County has not slowed. As a matter of fact, the volume and diversity of requests that the area has seen has only
increased, as the region attacks the imbalance of housing demand versus the inventory available. The Jerome Village master development continues to move forward at a rapid pace, with over 1,100 homes occupied to date. Current planning, as well as projects already under construction, will add hundreds more of developable lots in the coming year. In addition, a new elementary school within Jerome Village started operation in fall of 2020, and a middle school is currently in construction and planned to open for the 2021-2022 school year. As this mixed-use development adds residential units, the demand for complementary services to support the residents increases. We expect to see this demand result in non-residential development within Jerome Village in the coming year and beyond and have already been part of these planning efforts. Other residential and commercial/industrial development within the County have created opportunity to leverage public/private partnerships to increase safety and capacity on the public roadway network. One example of this is at the intersection of US 42 and Industrial Parkway, where a significant intersection upgrade is currently in the design phase. Multiple developments, including the recently opened FedEx Ground facility on Industrial Parkway, have made or will make contributions (determined through their individual traffic impact studies) towards this improve-ment. This project will provide for the safe and efficient travel of people and goods through the area, and would not be possible without private involvement. With several other examples of development projects that will add traffic to an already taxed roadway system, our
office, private development and surrounding agencies will continue to think outside of the box to develop creative
funding partnerships to expand, modify and maintain the roadway infrastructure that is so important to the success of
Union County.
UNION COUNTY CONTINUES TO SEE INCREASED GROWTH
SANITARY SEWER NOTE
Union County Engineer’s
2020 Annual Report
Building Department
NEW 1,2,3 FAMILY RESIDENCES
ADDITIONS/ ALTERATIONS
ALL OTHER PERMITS
TOTAL RESIDENTIAL PERMITS
VALUATION INSPECTIONS COMPLETED
CORRECTION
NOTICES
492 248 569 1,309 $172,879,343 12,634 3,321
NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS
ADDITIONS/ ALTERATIONS
ALL OTHER PERMITS
TOTAL COMMERCIAL PERMITS
VALUATION INSPECTIONS COMPLETED
CORRECTION NOTICES
39 111 215 365 $176,775,784 4,242 1,806
Page 6
After 24 years of using our current in-house building software, we are excited to be introducing a new on-line building software system to both our clients and our staff. OpenGov Citizen Ser-vices software will better suit the needs of the building department, contractors, and homeown-ers alike. This new cloud based software will allow builders to submit all of their paperwork for permits on-line and view progress of plan review and inspections in real time. We have high hopes that this will make the building department more efficient, while at the same time making it easier for the community members that use our services. While we expect that there might be a few minor bumps in the road while we work to institute the new software, this system will al-low better tracking of projects and finances, as well as simplifying the process of construction for both our building department staff and builders in the community. Our website has all of the information about how to create a new account: unioncountyohio.gov/engineer.
We would like to welcome Sam Cronk as the newest member of the building department and our future CBO. Sam comes to us from the City of Columbus
building department where he spent the last 22 years as a member of the electrical inspection and building compliance team. Sam is a long-time resident
of Marysville and is excited to be working in the community in which he resides. Sam will be working as an Assistant Building Official while transition-
ing into the role of Chief Building Official in the near future.
NEW BUILDING SOFTWARE
WELCOME...
Union County Engineer’s
2020 Annual Report
Employee News
Page 7
Ronda Conrad joined our office in August of 1990 as our Accounts Administrator. She was responsible for budget planning and review, managing substantial revenues and expenditures, and was an integral part of our office. Ronda retired in August, 2020 Ben Laird was hired in November of 1994 as a Maintenance Worker. Over his 25 year career, Ben helped to maintain and build roads, bridges, and culverts. He was a dedicated employee known for his sense of humor, kindness, and loyalty. Ben retired in July of 2020.
Sandy Liedtke was hired as a Building Permit Specialist in April of 1993. She managed both large and small projects and issued building permits for our building department. Sandy was known for her exceptional commitment to customer service. Sandy retired in April, 2020 Keith Oman became employed with the Engineer’s Office in February of 1995. Keith worked as a Maintenance Worker, helping to keep our local roadways safe for the public. Keith retired in September of 2020 with plans to enjoy his re-tirement in Panama.
Over the past year, we welcomed seven new employees to our organization.
Administrative Team
Michelle Anderson Lisa Damron Susie Martin Accounts Administrator Building Permit Specialist Building Permit Specialist
Building Department Operations
Sam Cronk Bill Stevenson Brian Tracey Ken Young Assistant Chief Building Inspector Maintenance Maintenance Building Official Worker I Worker I
2020 NEW EMPLOYEES
CONGRATULATIONS RETIREES!
Union County Engineer Jeff Stauch, PE/PS 233 West Sixth Street Marysville, Ohio 43040
